Left to right: Shehbaj Singh Chatha, Sangram Singh, Ahmad Baker, Varshit Barot, Lance Santiago, Lesi Nwielaghi, Ryan Ng, Nina Fabian
Not Pictured: Rey Tacder
Introducing Your 2024/2025 Saitsa Board of Directors!
Thanks to voters like you we beat out last years 12.9% with an amazing 13.8% voter turnout!
Thank you to all the candidates, staff, volunteers, and voters who made this all possible!
Become A Student Leader
GET ON BOARD
Run For A Seat on the BOD
There are several great reasons to get involved with the Board of Directors. Here are just a few cited by past Board Members:
- Be a voice for the student body
- Improve the SAIT student experience
- Network with community leaders
- Advocate for student rights
- Gain real-world experience
- Build your resume
- Build a better campus community
Who Are the Board of Directors?
Every Winter semester, SAIT students elect 9 Directors of the Board; the business and affairs of the SAIT Students’ Association is governed by the Board of Directors (BOD), the BOD provides strategic oversight and decision making for the Association on behalf of the members who elected them.
The BOD are the stewards of the Association, this means that they have a fiduciary duty and a duty of care to the Association. These terms may sound intimidating, but in general terms, it means that those who are elected to the Board:
- Have loyalty to Saitsa,
- Respect the confidentiality of Board business,
- Make reasonably informed decisions,
- Take an active and direct role in key matters.
All About the BOD
Term
Board members are eligible to serve a one-year term (May of the current academic year –May of the following academic year).
Time Commitment
The Board meets once a month for the official BOD meeting, as well as once a week for a team meeting. In order to effectively fulfill your duties as a Director, in addition to attending meetings, you would be expected to: review agenda packages, familiarize yourself with the Association’s purpose and services, and attend training. In order to fulfill their duties, Directors will dedicate approximately 10-15 hours a week to their responsibilities and are provided an honorarium.
Roles & Responsibilities
The business and affairs of the SAIT Students’ Association are governed by the Board of Directors (BOD), the BOD provides strategic oversight and decision-making for the Association on behalf of the members who elected them. The BOD are the stewards of the Association, this means that they have a fiduciary duty and a duty of care to the Association. The role of the Board is to provide ongoing ownership linkage with the student body, to set organizational policy in accordance with ownership needs and preferences, to provide monitoring and oversight of Executive Director compliance with policy.
For more information on the duties of the BOD, please refer to our Bylaws.
Compensation
Directors will receive a monthly honorarium of $1120, the Vice-President will receive a monthly honorarium of $2250, and the President will receive a monthly honorarium of $2500. Directors are provided extensive governance and advocacy training, and professional, networking, and leadership development opportunities. In addition, Directors are eligible for SAIT’s Co-Curricular Records upon completion of a full term as a Director.
Structure of the Board
Board Leadership
From within the Board, a President and Vice President are elected. These two leadership positions are typically the delegates/representatives to Saitsa’s municipal, provincial, and federal advocacy groups.
As the President has additional responsibilities compared to other Directors they are expected to work additional hours and therefore would find it difficult to maintain a full-time course load.
Role of the President & Vice President
From within the Board, a President and Vice President are elected. These two leadership positions are typically the delegates/representatives to Saitsa’s municipal, provincial, and federal advocacy groups.
As the President has additional responsibilities compared to other Directors they are expected to work additional hours and therefore would find it difficult to maintain a full-time course load.
Individual Directors
While the success of the Association is tied directly to the responsibility of the Board, each individual Director is responsible for acting honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the association. They are to exercise the care and skill that a reasonable person would in a similar situation.
Directors will be appointed to sit on various committees or working groups within SAIT and maintain the ownership linkage by connecting with students on a regular basis. Various opportunities for leadership experience, student engagement, and advocacy work will present themselves throughout the term and Directors will be encouraged to engage.
An example of monthly duties of Directors would include: attending and preparing for meetings, attending and speaking at ownership linkage events, and identifying and communicating potential topics/areas for advocacy initiatives to the President & Vice President.
'Get On Board' FAQ
You are required to be a student in order to run in the election AND serve as a Director; each person (and program) is different, but Directors generally should be able to manage a full-time course load and their Saitsa responsibilities. However, the President and Vice President’s additional responsibilities and required travel related to their roles on our advocacy groups will need to transition to a part-time student course load.
In order to maintain a mind-set separation between operations and governance, Directors are not able to work for Saitsa during their term.
Students who pay Saitsa fees and are in good standing with SAIT are eligible to become a candidate in an election. You must also plan on continuing your studies for the next academic year as Directors are required to be active students.
If you’re interested in becoming a candidate in the election or learning more, click here.
Every Winter semester, SAIT students elect 9 Directors of the Board.
Nominations Open: January 22, 2024 at 8:00 a.m.
Nominations Close: February 12, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
One of the best ways to know if the position is right for you is to talk to those who are already in the position! You are welcome to reach out to current directors and ask questions about the role and what they’ve enjoyed (or not enjoyed!) about it. You are also welcome to attend a Board meeting to see governance in action. Saitsa Governance & Advocacy staff are also a great resource.
You must run in the Board of Directors election and first be elected as a Director by the general student body; following the election the Board themselves will elect/appoint the President and VP. Essentially there will be a ‘campaign’ of sorts within the Board following the general election, so if the President or VP position appeals to you, set that intention from the beginning and demonstrate your leadership potential!
No experience is required, just a great attitude and passion for student issues! One of the greatest things about student-led Boards like Saitsa’s is that we are prepared to teach you from the ground up and help you along the way. We realize that the majority of students who are interested in running, due to their age or phase in life, may not have any experience with governance or advocacy, so we’re a learning Board. Directors are provided extensive onboarding and the support of the Governance & Advocacy department to help make the experience a memorable one.
Directors are provided an honorarium for their advocacy efforts; the intention of the honoraria is to off-set potential wage losses a Director would experience by not being able to work part-time (or not work as much as they would if they didn’t have the Director responsibilities). Depending on performance (academic and assigned tasks) honoraria for Directors is $10,000+/year.
The President and Vice President have additional responsibilities and workload and therefore would find it difficult to maintain any part-time work; depending on performance (academic and assigned tasks) honoraria for the President and VP is $30,000+/year.
Nomination Periods
The Nomination period for the 2024
BOD Election is NOW CLOSED
Every Winter semester, a nomination period opens that allows students to put their name in the running for a seat on the Board of Directors.
In order to become a nominee, you must submit the nomination form and collect 20 student endorsements via ‘e-signatures’ before the nomination period deadline.
There is one nomination period to give you time to complete the package and prepare your campaign.
How to Become a Candidate
After submitting your nomination form and obtaining 20 endorsement signatures, you must attend a candidates’ meeting (1 minimum) in order to be declared a candidate.
Candidate Meeting Dates
The Saitsa 2024 Election has concluded as of March 7, 2024. Check back in Fall 2024 for information about next year's election.
Running Your Campaign
Now that I'm a candidate how do I run my campaign?
With shoes… just kidding! Candidates are encouraged to get creative and express themselves in a way that is true to themselves and what they are campaigning on. Ideally, candidates will align their passions and interests with the mission and vision of the organization. With that being said, there are a number of rules that candidates must adhere to, please refer to Elections and Referenda Policies and Procedures for more information.
An important part of running for BOD is your campaign video. Candidates will film a 120-second video introducing themselves, why they are running, and a brief overview of their platform.
Contact Us
If you have any additional questions, or would like to get in touch please contact:
Saitsa CRO
Saitsa Governance & Advocacy Staff
Information on campaigning and the election process: